O&P Schooling and Training

Schooling and Training

The normal requirement for education is usually 4-6 years of schooling. Nearly 70 percent of O&P professionals have their master’s degree in the specialized study of Orthotics and Prosthetics. Another 28 percent of people working in O&P area only have a bachelor’s degree, and only about two percent of people working in this medical area have less than a bachelor’s degree of education. Beginning in 2012, all accredited programs should be at the master's level. As early as 2009, transition programs were created for those who had already earned a bachelor's degree or certificate and were working as a prosthetist and orthotist. These shortened programs result in a Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics.